A proposal introduced today by U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Chair Dave Camp (R-Mich.) would trim Michigan's unemployment insurance to a maximum of 45.5 weeks, according to an analysis of the GOP proposal by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank focused on issues of concern to low- and moderate-income families.

According to the center, the GOP proposal links Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC), which is available in all states, to the length of time that the state pays unemployment compensation before the federal plan kicks in. Since Michigan is reducing its maximum unemployment compensation to 20 weeks, effective Jan. 15, 2012, after that recipients under the GOP plan would only be eligible for 76.9 percent of the potential EUC benefits. That means that effective Jan. 15, 2012, recipients could only get the state's 20 weeks of regular benefits, plus 25.5 weeks of federal EUC benefits for a total of 25.5 weeks.

Michigan would likely lose its federal emergency unemployment benefits altogether. Emergency benefits kick in after the EUC benefits are exhausted. It would do so because of the GOP continuation without expansion of the look-back provision that says the state has to have an unemployment rate that is higher than it was three years ago. Beginning in January, that won't be the case in Michigan.

High-unemployment states, including Michigan, Ohio, Florida and California would bear the deepest cuts under Camp’s bill, according to Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project, which also analyzed the GOP proposal and came to similar conclusion about the Michigan total. “This proposal is reckless and irresponsible,” Owens said.

The Republican plan also includes proposals to allow states to require claimants to submit to drug tests when applying for unemployment insurance, pay a weekly fee for reemployment services, and exclude claimants without a high school diploma or GED — regardless of how much they worked or earned before losing their jobs.

"This bill is about strengthening our economy and getting Americans back to work through commonsense reforms," said Camp in a statement.

No one from Camp's office or the Ways and Means Committee was available to respond to this story on Monday evening.